Infogrames makes big games gains

The French games giant told French newspapers it had revenue of 183 million euros ($161 million) for the three months ended June 30.

Full year sales grew 29 per cent to 672 million euros.

It also confirmed its sales forecast of 1 billion euros for the financial year 2002 - based on further growth in the US and Europe, as well as "development of its activities" in Asia.

After being hit by delays to the launch of Sony's PlayStation 2 console last year, its Q4 sales got a boost thanks to the release of games such as Unreal Tournament.

The company, which has become a major player in the US market through acquisitions in the area, was upbeat for the coming year, saying it would benefit from the success of PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's Advanced Gameboy. It also said it would do well out of the release in the US of Nintendo's Gamecube and Microsoft's Xbox - expected late this year.

Meanwhile, the company plans to publish a stack of leading titles in the next year, each with the potential for sales topping ten million euros. These include Stuntman, Civilisation 3, Monopoly Tycoon, Splashdown, and Alone in the Dark 4. ®